A McMaster researcher says "it's a wonderful thing" that U.S. President Barack Obama is loosening restrictions on American-funded stem cell research. But Dr. Mick Bhatia admits he's worried it will make it harder to attract talent to Canada and cause a brain drain to the United States.

"I think it's going to be a little harder for us to get those people," Bhatia, the scientific director of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, said yesterday, in the wake of the president's announcement.

"I would be disingenuous if I said I wasn't concerned."

Across the board, Canada sees itself as weak on innovation. With Barack Obama now President, the United States is returning as a favorable destination for Canadian-cultivated talent. The liberalization of stem cell research demonstrates how quickly a few policy changes could restore the U.S. as a beacon of creative enterprise.